VETERANS PRESS: Veterans Press stories stir memories

I was working at home last week when I got an email and a call from Connie D'Amico. Connie had a veteran’s story she wanted to share. See the email below. 

Dear Don, 

I read your article in the Coeur d'Alene Press two to three weeks ago and searched for a poem my brother wrote and published in the World Treasury of Golden Poems. 

My brother was a captain in the South Pacific during WWII. He served as a Radio Operator aboard the 825. He also manned the machine guns. He had several stories he loved sharing with family members. 

Below and also attached is his poem. 

A GI’S JUNGLE WATCH  

By Cpt. Roldan F. Vigil  

To the many who didn’t make it back. The many confined in VA hospitals throughout the U.S.A. The many whose lives were never the same again.  

I stand my watch, my post I guard;  

That time will tell, but not retard;  

For across the sea, she waits for me; 

She waits and prays and thinks of me.  

The night is dark, the jungle hell;  

Each noise sounds as a resounding bell;  

But across the sea, she dreams of me;  

She waits and prays and thinks of me.  

When night is done and dusk is near;  

I seem to feel her so very near.  

For across the sea she waits for me;   

She waits and prays and thinks of me. 

If you wonder why we work every month to produce a meaningful Veterans Press, maybe this story and poem will help you understand.  

As Connie and I talked about her brother, I asked her for a picture to put with this moving poem. Connie sent me a couple of pages of awesome, emotional stories about her and her brother, and family stories that they kept going for years. We may try to include sections of those stories in later editions. I can tell you my wife and I both laughed and cried.  

Thank you, Connie, for sharing your story. And thank you, Cpt. Roldan Fredrick Vigil. Thanks for serving your country, and thanks for writing a moving, insightful poem. We are honored to share this poem and story with the Veterans Press readers.

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In helping to write the Veterans Press, we discovered that telling veterans' success stories is one of the most effective and impactful ways to share information about the help available to today’s veterans and their families. A real story can generate interest and inquiries from other veterans, their families or friends. Every story will end with “Does this story sound like someone you know?” and include contact information for help. People relate to real stories about real people. People who overcome obstacles and find life-changing help can open the door for others.  

Send us your stories through Don Walker ([email protected]).